Rotating laser beam irradiating apparatus

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rotating laser beam irradiating apparatus, and more particularly to a rotating laser beam irradiating apparatus which, by synchronizing an emission timing of a pulse laser with a rotation of an irradiating means, makes it possible to describe intermittent dot-shaped marks, to tremendously increase a visual recognition distance, and to enlarge a work area; wherein a pulse driving means drives a pulse laser light source, and an irradiating means irradiates an irradiated object with a pulse laser light beam from the pulse laser light source, and a rotation driving means rotates the irradiating means, and a rotation detecting means detects the rotation of the irradiating means, and an arithmetic processing means, in accordance with a driving timing from the pulse driving means and a detection signal from the rotation detecting means, controls the rotation driving means to synchronize an emission timing of the pulse laser with the rotation of the irradiating means.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A rotating laser beam irradiating apparatus, comprising: a pulse laser light source;   a pulse driving means for driving the pulse laser light source;   an irradiating means for irradiating an irradiated object with a pulse laser light beam from said pulse laser light source;   a rotation driving means for rotating the irradiating means;   a rotation detecting means for detecting the rotation of said irradiating means; and   an arithmetic processing means which, in accordance with a driving timing from said pulse driving means and a detection signal from the rotation detecting means, controls said rotation driving means so as to synchronize an emission timing of said pulse laser with the rotation of said irradiating means.   
     
     
       2. A rotating laser beam irradiating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pulse laser light source comprises an optical resonator composed of at least a laser crystal and an output mirror, and a pumping laser light source for pumping said optical resonator; and said pulse driving means is configured so as to drive the pumping laser light source. 
     
     
       3. A rotating laser beam irradiating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the period T of a driving pulse from said pulse driving means satisfies a condition: τ FL  >T-τ for T FL  (life of fluorescence). (wherein τ designates the pulse width).   
     
     
       4. A rotating laser beam irradiating apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein inserted into said optical resonator is a nonlinear optical medium for generating secondary higher harmonics. 
     
     
       5. A rotating laser beam irradiating apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 through 4, wherein said rotation driving means rotates the irradiating means so as to satisfy conditions:   T.sub.p-on <φ/(R*ω)       φ/(R*ω)<T.sub.p-off,     where T p-on  designates an emitting time width of the pulse laser source, T p-off  designates an extinguishing time of the pulse laser source, ω(rad/s) designates an angular velocity of the irradiating means, φ designates a cross section diameter of the pulse laser light beam, and R designates a distance from the rotating laser beam irradiating apparatus to an irradiated object.   
     
     
       6. A rotating laser beam irradiating apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 through 5, wherein said rotation detecting means for detecting a rotation of the irradiating means is also provided with a function for detecting a direction in which a laser light is launched out.